A Short History of Wales/Introduction

by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards

INTRODUCTION

This little book is meant for those who have never read any Welsh history before. It is not taken for granted that the reader knowseither Latin or Welsh.

A fuller outline may be read in The Story of Wales, in the "Story of the Nations" series; and a still fuller one in The Welsh People of Rhys and Brynmor Jones. Of fairly small and cheap books in various periods I may mention Rhys' Celtic Britain, Owen Rhoscomyl's Flame Bearers of Welsh History, Henry Owen's Gerald the Welshman, Bradley'sOwen Glendower, Newell's Welsh Church, and Rees' Protestant Non-conformity in Wales. More elaborate and expensive books are Seebohm's Village Community and Tribal System in Wales, Clark'sMedieval Military Architecture, Morris' Welsh Wars of Edward I., Southall's Wales and Her Language. In writing local history, A. N.Palmer's History of Wrexham and companion volumes are models.

If you turn to a library, you will find much information about Wales in Social England, the Dictionary of National Biography, the publications of the Cymmrodorion and other societies. You will find articles of great value and interest over the names of F. H. Haverfield, J. W. Willis-Bund, Egerton Phillimore, the Honourable Mrs Bulkeley Owen (Gwenrhian Gwynedd), Henry Owen, the late David Lewis,T. F. Tout, J. E. Lloyd, D. Lleufer Thomas, W. Llywelyn Williams, J.Arthur Price, J. H. Davies, J. Ballinger, Edward Owen, Hubert Hall,Hugh Williams, R. A. Roberts, A. W. Wade-Evans, E. A. Lewis. These are only a few out of the many who are now working in the rich and unexplored field of Welsh history. I put down the names only of those I had to consult in writing a small book like this.

The sources are mostly in Latin or Welsh. Many volumes of chronicles, charters, and historical poems have been published by the Government, by the Corporation of Cardiff, by J. Gwenogvryn Evans, by H. de Grey Birch, and others. But, so far, we have not had the interesting chronicles and poems translated into English as they ought to be, and published in well edited, not too expensive volumes.

Owen Edwards

Lincoln College, Oxford.